Wednesday, 9 December 2009

I never told you this before, because I knew you'd freak out (especially you, Dad) but I guess now that I'm finished and managed to not get robbed or murdered, I can tell you. Up until now, all through my trip, I've been camping out.

But you'll be happy to know that I'm in Takemizu Village now and am staying in an actual hotel. I kind of wanted to rough it the whole way but there are no camping places around here.

It's been really nice to be able to sleep in a bed every night now. The hotel is the cheapest I could find but it's comfortable and very safe. It's also meant I have somewhere to leave all my things during the day, so I've finally been able to ditch my backpack.

Onto the important stuff: food! Everything here is delicious, especially the chirashi. I've been practically living on the stuff!

Except when I order room service. It's such a waste of money but after so long living outside, I'm taking pleasure in little luxuries.

They give these really great massages here too. It's called acupressure. I have to admit to being terrified when I heard all those cracking sounds but once the masseuse was done, it made a real difference. I felt so energised!

I've already done all the tours Takemizu has to offer and haven't been too impressed with them, to be honest.

I seem to get soaked, or injured in some way every time I take one. I took a walking tour and ended up with the worst case of poison ivy I've ever had (and I've had a lot on this trip!)

I thought a soak in the hot springs might soothe it but that only worked for a little while.

This itching was getting really old.

I felt like people were staring every time I had to reach down and scratch. They probably were,
I must have looked like a freak.

So I headed back to the hotel room instead, where I could scratch myself in peace and hang around in my PJs for the afternoon. Caught up on my reading too. It feels like forever since I've actually read a book!

You guys know I'm a bit of a hermit at home, at the best of times, but I guess I'm missing people because I've actually been socialising! Most of the people I talk to seem pretty nice, although I don't know what excuse you have to be so smelly in a hotel with showers and baths! I avoid the stinky ones!

I even met some locals and they taught me the gestures people around here use. They'll come in handy eventually.

I even participated in a tai chi lesson. It seems like it's a pretty relaxing hobby but I don't know if it's something I'd want to do a whole lot of. It's a bit new agey for me, I guess!

And just like every other place I've been, I've run into people from home here. The latest was Max, Olivia's brother. We had some tea together and I got up to date with everything back at home.

I'd heard about this old guy who hangs around his house telling some ancient tale and I wanted to hear what the fuss was about, so I went along. He told me the story, which was cool, but he was such an asshole!

I tried to tell him about all my recent adventures and he was just so damn rude about it.

I told him so too!

It's not like what he had to say outside of the story was so interesting!

So I'm not really superstitious but everyone talks about the shrines and making a wish at them, so I figured I'd give it a shot anyway.

Yeesh, that didn't look good!

Maybe there's something to that shrine after all. It seems like a pretty weird coincidence that it glows red and then I'm swarmed by bees, right? But why me? What'd I do?!?

Honestly, people talk a lot of crap around here. This weirdo told me he knew how to teleport. Um, okay. Whatever you say!

He told me he'd teach me the secret if I answered his question correctly. I played along and he whispered something in my ear that didn't really make much sense! I doubt I'll be zapping myself around Sullivan any time soon, let's put it that way!

But I will be back home soon! I have a few more places to visit but the first day of the new year, I'm flying into Lachance International. Rose is going to be there, of course but I have a feeling you guys might make an appearance too! I can't wait to get back and see everybody again. This trip feels like it's gone so fast and so slow at the same time!

Joanna's trip - the end result:

So I am proud to say that I did complete all 45 of the vacation memories (except the Big Foot one, which I cheated with in SimPE - no Sasquatches in Sullivan, thank you very much!)

The last memory was Become a Frequent Traveler. I thought that required three good vacations but it actually requires five, so Joanna went on a quickie beach holiday as soon as she got back from Takemizu. She'd already been to the beach once as a kid, so that made it five.

I am very sad to report that there seems to be NO surprise or reward at the end for completing all the memories. No special memory, no plaque that would sit in her inventory until death, no congratulatory message. Dammit Maxis! That SUCKS!

So I guess what I'm saying is if you want to complete the vacation memories as a little challenge for yourself, go ahead because it can be fun. But don't expect any reward for it.

So Joanna was supposed to stay in a youth hostel I'd built but when I took her there, she got the pop-up about being charged about 6 times. I figured I'd done something wrong in building or zoning it, so I moved her to the el cheapo hotel but I got the same problem there. It only happens on the first day but I'm still not sure what's up.

I've never seen Joanna react as negatively to anyone as she did to the Wise Old Man! She has only one nice point but for her, it manifests itself into not really hanging around people much at all (she's not shy, so that's the only explanation I can come up with). It's not often that I've seen her autonomously tease or argue but she really didn't like the WOM.

Speaking of the WOM, he's a Fortune Sim! That makes me laugh because you'd think he'd be an ascetic. But no, his LTW is to earn $100,000. He should probably start charging people to hear his dragon legend.

I'm so crazy excited about using the airport for Joanna's homecoming. It's really quite sad. I'll do that update along with the Summer 2018 birthdays.

No special prize? Sucks, I have one sim on the pursuit of all things travel and another on the pursuit of all things buggy-actually they're sisters-it's a shame they don't get anything for all that work-not even a aspiration boost?

Aw, that really does suck that there's no special prize or message for getting all the vacation memories. Come on, Maxis, you gave us all those hobby plaques, couldn't you have given us a vacation plaque? :(

But it's still awesome that you completed it all! That is hilarious that the WOM is a fortune Sim! I would have guessed Knowledge. So funny. :)

Mao, I'd definitely noticed Joanna's cheekbones but your comment made me compare them to her parents' cheeks for the first time. I'd been assuming Joanna was pretty much an Adam clone but those cheeks are most definitely Athena's! So she does have at least one feature from her mother. I love it when they're a mix!

Bragging rights are nothing to sneeze at but being as there's no reward, I probably won't try to reach the goal again. I might send a Sim (or Sims) away on an extended trip but I'll have to think up another way for them to pass their time!

Cissie, in the whole time I've been playing, I think the ninja has shown up for me on community lots exactly three times. I usually teleport him in. He still disappears if you get the question wrong but you won't miss him.

I'll probably do the airport today. I'm hoping for minimal lag. I haven't actually taken a Sim there yet!

Apple Valley, nope, not even an aspiration boost! I remember someone (Laura?) was saying in Comments when I first set this goal for Joanna that it would have been cool if Maxis had made getting all the vacation memories a LTW. And yes, I have to agree, it would have been!

I've got several Sims working on the bugs! I figure one of them has got to finish the collection. I had Raffaella searching from the day she became a child till the day she died (seriously, I think she died out on the lawn!) and she only found 29! One more!

Shana, I know all those useless plaques, for things no more momentous than devoting your life to the telescope or the easel and nothing for this!

Knowledge would have been a good aspiration for the WOM. But most of the supernaturally stuff in BV (I consider WOM slightly supernatural, because he levitates), I think of as tourist traps/attractions type things, because I play a realistic hood. So Fortune definitely fits with that!

Summer 2018 birthdays and Joanna's homecoming should be up in less than half an hour. I did the birthdays a couple of days ago but I played the airport last night and it was so fun.

And wouldn't the WOM being forced into ascetism by his family be a nice little twist on an old cliche? LOL.

bbop, thanks for checking the guide! That's probably where I got the idea that there was a reward. It wouldn't be the first thing they were wrong about, unfortunately. I have a few Sims trying for 30/30 insects and I'm not holding out much hope that there's any sort of reward for that either!

I think Joanna may already be perma-plat actually. So many of my Sims are. :\ I find it really hard, post AL, to keep Sims from going perma-plat. Not only can you go perma-plat by completing a LTW but also by earning 16 lifetime benefit points. Even if you don't use them, you go perma-plat. I was looking for a hack to get rid of perma-plat completely, actually.

Like everything in the game, BV can be a bit samey but you can really make it fun if you try. :)